


Opus One and Valentine's

by artemis-red (HimekoUchia)



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Human, Jasicosaturday, M/M, Valentine's Day, Wine Tasting!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-14 13:31:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3412439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HimekoUchia/pseuds/artemis-red
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Opus One: A winery in California that sells some of the most expensive wine in the US.<br/>Valentine's: The night that Jason meets the cute new bartender at his favorite wine tasting bar.</p><p>Piper, Jason decides, is the world's least subtle wingwoman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Opus One and Valentine's

**Author's Note:**

> So during last week's Valentine's day JasicoSaturday chat washinfor came up with the idea for a Jasico Wine Tasting AU and nephilimgirlbooks, Bisexualjason, sadgaywerewolf, shortnman, daidarabocchi and I added ideas to it (let me know if I forgot anyone and definitely go check out their tumblrs).
> 
> And now I wrote it.  
> Enjoy.
> 
> Disclaimer: Despite being a Burgundian French girl who spends a month in a vineyard every year, I don't know much about wine tasting. Thank goodness for the internet. And for my mom's friends in the wine business. Oh and Tastings is a real wine tasting bar. The name was so uncreative I had to use it.

“This is the second time this week, Piper.” sighed Jason. “We can't afford making this a regular habit.”  
Nevertheless, he followed his friend into the bar, glancing at the familiar rows of wine bottles and enomatic machines paved along the walls. He quickly tore his eyes away to stare at Piper, who had a suspicious smirk etched across her face. Jason groaned.  
"Please don't tell me you stole it."

Piper hummed and pulled a shiny credit card out of her pocket, waving it in front of her friend's face.  
"Of course not. My father just got another part as a shirtless Spartan warrior or something and he feels bad because he knows that on Valentine's day, I will once again be stuck here, dateless, with you." The girl poked Jason in the chest with the card for emphasis before slipping it back into the main pocket of her denim overalls. "So he told me to take you somewhere nice."  
She waved her hand around her head.

The lazily named 'Tastings' was their favorite wine tasting bar in the area. This was partially because of their large and changing selection of alcohol and partially because the bartender who worked the night shifts had become a familiar, friendly face.

However, the Latino man was nowhere to be found in the deserted bar. 

Finally realizing that they appeared to be the only ones here, Jason threw his friend a confused look.  
"Um... Hello?" the tried.

After a moment of silence, a loud snort-transitioning-into-a-gasp sounded behind the counter. The head of a unknown young man popped up, a confused look plastered onto his red face.  
Jason frowned, taking in the sight. The man still had drool on the corner of his lips and his dark hair was sticking out in at least fifty different directions. The stranger blinked and looked straight at Jason with half-lidded, unfocused dark eyes, face still flushed.  
Jason felt the edges of his lips tug up into a smile, a warm feeling surging through his chest.  
The boy was cute. And endearing. 

The man quickly stood up and started making a series of wild hand gestures as he started to speak.  
"Oh god I am so sorry! I fell asleep. I didn't think anyone would be coming here on Valentine's day but I-..." The man stopped rambling and ran his hand through his messy hair with a sigh when he saw the looks on his soon-to-be clients' faces. "Right. Good evening. I'm Nico, and I will be your bartender for tonight. Please have a seat."

Nico had a slight accent, Jason noticed. It ran through the stranger's words. It was musical, almost sensual.  
Probably European. 

Jason really liked European accents.

The warmth that had previously been sitting in the blonde's chest traveled a little lower. He blanched, suddenly realizing which turn these strange emotions were taking.  
No. This was completely inappropriate. Even if Nico managed to be cute and insanely attractive in less than two minutes.  
That made things very unfair. But life was unfair and Jason was going to suck it up. Because he was a decent young man.  
At least, he hoped so.

Shrugging, Jason and Piper hopped onto their usual chairs directly in front of the bar. Jason noted that Nico looked young, barely old enough to be working in a place that served alcohol. He was still hastily rubbing his eyes and around his mouth, trying to remove all evidence of his former nap. Under the nest of curly black hair he was currently drowning in, Nico looked like a tired little kitten.

Very cute.

Objectively speaking.

If Jason looked closely, he would notice the faint traces of words on the stranger's cheek, probably left over from having fallen asleep on the piece of paper he had been writing on.

But Jason didn't notice, because he would never stare so intensely at a guy he had never met before. That was just creepy. 

Even if said stranger was Nico, the cute bartender. Who was also very hot and had very defined cheekbones, like a model. That wasn't weird to notice right off the bat. It was just a fact.  
Jason tried not to smile too widely. He didn't want to look like an awkward idiot, but he had the sinking feeling that he was already failing miserably.

"Nice to meet you, Nico. You're new here. Where's Valdez?" asked Piper, snapping Jason out of his reveries. Nico made a face.  
"He's got a date tonight. So he asked me to cover for him. I'm not working here, I'm just his roommate."  
Jason and Piper both frowned.  
"Leo? A date?"  
Despite being an huge fan of women, that feeling was not generally reciprocated by the opposite sex, if his drunk ramblings pass the bar's closing time were anything to go bye.

The replacement bartender just shrugged, muttering something about "miracles happening" under his breath. Jason and Piper snorted in amusement.  
"And you are working here on Valentine's day eve because?" teased Piper, placing her elbow on the bar and her chin in the palm of her hand. A look of annoyance flicked through Nico's eyes, washing away the former embarrassment that had been lingering in his expression. He grabbed a menu and gave it to the pair.  
"Touché. A new order of Pinot Noir just came in. I highly recommend you try some of it to start. It's from 1998.” 

Jason welcomed the excuse to tear his eyes away from Nico.  
What was the matter with him? Jason mentally kicked himself. He was not the type to be infatuated with a complete stranger. Besides, he had not addressed a single word to Nico yet. And that was because he couldn't bring himself to open his mouth in fear of making it known that he was currently having very inappropriate thoughts.

Piper nudged him, throwing him a sideways smirk. Oh, so he was being obvious.  
Jason clenched his teeth and stubbornly kept glaring holes into the menu. After composing his expression, he looked up and threw a casual smile at Nico. The boy just raised a dark eyebrow and lifted the corner of his lips into a small smirk.

Oh god. Now he was sexy too.

Jason's order died in his throat. Along with his chances at making a good first impression.  
Thankfully, Piper came to his rescue.  
“Alright, if you say so Nico. We will taste all the new featured red wines. Those are the only ones we haven't tried yet.” she pointed at at least half a dozen names on the menu. Nico's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull.  
“A-All of them?” he croaked. Jason and Piper chuckled. They got this reaction every time they visited a new wine bar. In the moment of enthusiasm, Jason somehow managed to find his voice.  
“For now. And we'll throw in the occasional white. Add a glass of a Californian Sauvignon Blanc. Or two. You choose them. Surprise us.” Jason managed to keep his voice sounding calm, with a hint of friendliness.

Jason mentally clapped himself on the back.  
Not too bad, Jason.  
Thank you, Jason.

Nico didn't budge.  
“That's gonna give you a horrible headache.” warned the boy, frowning. “And completely ruin your liver.”  
“Not if you bring us lots of water.” pointed out Jason.  
“And the deluxe family sized assortment of appetizers. Oh, and today, we're finally trying a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Opus One." added Piper, pointing to what she wanted on the menu.

Nico stared at the pair of them as if they were crazy, his jaw a little ajar.

“I... Alright, I'll do get your food and wine.” sighed the boy in resignation. He turned to go into the kitchen, still looking like he was being haunted by a particularly hideous ghost.

Jason would be lying if he said that he didn't take a small peak at Nico's backside as he walked away. He just wanted to check if his butt was as lovely as his face.

Oh god.

It was.

Once Nico had disappeared into the kitchen, Jason received a sharp smack from Piper via menu.  
“I got you those pants for your birthday. Don't ruin them.” the woman's mock stern glare morphed into one of hilarity when Jason groaned and rubbed his face with the palms of his hand. “Jason, I could practically heard Cupid's arrow whizzing through the air and burying itself shaft deep into your chest. Or maybe it was straight into your groin. But I'll let you retain some of your good boy reputation.”  
“That was so embarrassing.” admitted Jason, knowing that there was no point lying to Piper.  
To himself, maybe. But Piper would never fall for his half-assed denial.

“He's adorable, I'll give you that. You should totally hook up with him. It's Valentine's day, after all.” Piper prodded at his arm, an excited smirk curling its way across her lips.  
“What? No. I don't even know him.” Jason shook his head. He might be going through a bit of a hormonal roller-coaster right now, but that didn't mean that he was comfortable with the idea of getting with a total stranger just because he was physically attractive.

Piper just rolled her eyes. Jason knew that their ethics differed there.  
“Then get to know him.” suggested the woman. “Ask him to eat and drink with us.”  
Jason hesitated. That did sound appealing. But there was still a problem.  
“That might just make things really awkward. What if he's already with someone? And what if he isn't into guys?” 

Piper snorted.  
“Are you kidding me? He hasn't taken his eyes off of you since he's woken up.”  
Something fluttered in Jason's stomach and he was feeling strangely giddy . Oh no. That wasn't a good sign.  
“Really?” Jason tried not to sound too happy. “How did I not notice?”  
“Because you were too busy glaring at the menu so that you wouldn't be caught staring at Nico's mouth.”  
“Ah. Right.”

The kitchen door slammed open as Nico emerged with a gigantic platter full of food. He slipped through the doorway, nearly getting slammed by the door.  
Piper and Jason gasped as Nico teetered with the platter and lost his balance. With a look of intense concentration on his face, Nico managed to right himself, food intact. He looked up at the pair with a smug smile.  
“I've got this.”

Jason and Piper started clapping sarcastically. Nico threw them a dirty look.

“Here is your deluxe family sized assortment of appetizers.” he deadpanned, sliding the platter onto the bar. “I'll go get your first drinks.”  
Nico disappeared under the bar to retrieved a tray with a dozen small wine glasses on it. Nico frowned down at the long list of drinks Jason and Piper had given him.  
Jason watched as the man's brows furrowed together in concentration, trying to locate the wines in the relatively large restaurant.

“Um...” Jason tried. Nico turned around to face Jason, arching an eyebrow at him. Jason's mouth suddenly went a little dry. “I... I know that Leo keeps the Burgundian red wines in the dispensers next to the table 4.”  
Jason pointed over his shoulder. 

Nico gave Jason a long look.  
“Wait. Are you two the regulars who always come here?” he asked warily.  
Piper struck a pose.  
“Yep. We're Piper and Jason. Why, did Leo mention us?” she grinned. Nico's picked up his tray and walked over to the back wall.  
“Briefly.” he huffed. “He called you the 'two raging drunks who enjoy performing strip shows and gross PDA after closing hours and far too much vodka'.”

Piper chuckled. Jason felt like something inside of him had died in shame.  
“No. Must have been some other embarrassing people.” Jason shook his head. Nico threw him a smirk over his shoulder.  
“Another 'blond superman called Jason' and 'native American beauty queen called Piper'?” he shot back, a little laughter in his tone.  
Jason glared at Piper for giving them away. She just shrugged.  
“Fine.” Jason sighed in defeat. “Glad our reputation as loyal customers proceeds us.”  
This time, Nico did chuckle. 

Oh god. 

Jason liked that sound. It was now his favorite sound. He wanted to hear that sound again.

“You can say that.” replied Nico, slipping his card into the enomatic machine to activate it. He slipped a glass under one of the nozzles and pushed the buttons on the side of the machine, humming in appreciation when wine poured down into the glass. After filling in a second one, he quickly made his way back to the bar, looking pleased with himself. “Pinot Noir, Burgundy, France. Grand Cru 1998. Enjoy.”

Jason and Piper picked up their glasses, swirling the translucent wine around before tasting it. It was subtly earthy in flavor and quite acidic, leaving a tangy aftertaste in Jason's mouth. Smiling to himself, he picked up a piece of cheese from the food platter and took a bite.  
“Hm... Delicious.” he sighed.

He glanced over at Nico, only to meet the man's eyes for a split second before Nico quickly looked away. Had Nico been staring at him? Jason noticed that the man's cheeks had gone slightly pink.  
Huh. Maybe Piper was right.  
Jason could barely hold back a grin.

He felt his female friend nudge him in the arm.

Jason cleared his throat to chase away the sudden stage fright.  
“Nico?” The brunet flicked his eyes back at Jason . “Care to join us?”  
Nico's eyes widened in surprise.  
“Oh, no, I couldn't.” he said quickly.  
“It's alright. No one else is here.” nudged Piper.  
Nico's gaze darted between Jason and Piper's hopeful smiles and their wine glasses.  
“I-... No. I don't want to intrude on your date.” said the bartender with finality.

The room went silent. Jason and Piper exchanged horrified glances. Nico stood there looking confused. The pair laughed.  
“Oh gods no! We're not dating! We're just good friends!” gasped Piper.  
Nico stared at them with suspicion.

“It's Valentine's day.” he pointed out.  
“We're out on a platonic Valentine's date!” explained Jason. “We aren't together.”  
“But Leo said that you two get really gross and lovey when you're drunk. He's convinced that you two have a thing.” Nico still looked confused.  
“We just get overwhelmed by how beautifully platonic our relationship is something. And hey, Jason is an attractive guy.” Piper patted Jason on the cheek. “No. We're not into each other like that. However, we're both really into dark haired beauties of our own respective genders.”

Piper winked at Nico.

There was a short moment of silence before the full reality of what Piper had said descended on both men in the room.

Jason started to choke on his wine. The acidic liquid went up his nose, burning the entirety of his respiratory track. Piper calmly removed the wine glass from his hand, gently slapped him repeatedly on the back.  
Once he could breath again, Jason glanced up at Nico.

The man seemed to find his shoes very interesting. The flush of red across his cheeks, however, indicated that he had understood what Piper meant.  
Then, Nico looked up at Jason. Jason's breath caught in his throat as those dark eyes met his. Before Jason could blink, Nico quickly raked his gaze up and down Jason's body. Then black met blue once again and Nico's face had managed to get about four shades redder somehow.

Oh.

Oh.

Piper's voice cut throw the loud ringing of Jason's gaydar.  
“So Nico, you're single right?” she smiled. Jason was amazed at how a face so innocent could hide so much pure evil. He had the sudden urge to push her off her stool.  
He tried.  
That woman didn't budge an inch.

Saying that Nico looked mortified was an understatement. Jason cleared his throat.  
“You don't have to answer her. It's none of our business-...”  
“Yes.” Nico interrupted, running a hand through his hair. “I'm single. Otherwise, I wouldn't be working the night shift on Valentine's day.”  
Nico smiled tentatively at Jason and shrugged.

Jason's heart leapt.  
Nico was single.  
Jason's heart did a little dance.  
Nico was single, and probably gay.  
Jason's heart did a backflip.  
Nico was single, gay, and he checked Jason out.  
Jason's heart did the macarena. 

OK, now he wanted to kiss Piper. He took back all the obscenities he had mentally hauled at her. She was to be worshiped for her amazingly unsubtle but efficient wingwoman methods.

“So, my fellow, single friend.” Piper handed Nico an empty wine glass. “This Valentine's date... is on me.”

Nico stared down at the glass in his hand, looking extremely conflicted. Then he glanced back at Jason.  
With an almost imperceptible smirk, Nico turned around and walked towards the wine dispenser.

**Author's Note:**

> Part 1. This is split in 2 or 3 parts because I don't know how long it will be. It's literally a long one shot though. I just wanted to update at least every JasicoSaturday.
> 
> Thanks for reading and go check out the tumblrs of all the people who helped bring this idea to life.  
> And my tumblr is [here](http://artemis-red.tumblr.com/), for those who want to stop by and say hi :)


End file.
